One of the Largest Animals in the World

 

      Written and Researched by: 

The Informative Zoologist

Appearance 

Hippos have enormous grey barrel-shaped bodies. They can measure about to 4.4 tons (9,000 lbs) and up to 16 ft in length. Their body weight is held up by their short and stocky legs. One of hippos' most distinctive feature is their enormous jaws that contain two long canine teeth which can grow up to 20 inches. Since hippos spend most of their day in water, they have many adaptations to help them in the water. Their adaptations include webbed toes on each foot that help them swim, and their eyes, ears, and nostrils are on the top of their head. That helps hippos, while their body is submerged in the water, they are able to see, hear, and breathe while keep cool in the hot sun. 

Diet

Hippos are herbivores despite their sharp and long teeth. Their diet consists of mainly different species of grasses that are found growing on the plains that they inhabit. During the night, Hippo's may travel about 3 miles to get to their feeding grounds by following paths marked with their droppings. Hippos don't use their canine teeth to eat, but they use their lips to grab the grass and rip it then grind with their back teeth. Hippo's may eat about 90 lbs a day and they use very little energy throughout the day and lay in the water. Besides grasses, hippos can eat fruits, aquatic plants, leaves, and roots. 

Habitat

Hippos used to rome Europe and across Asia but they have become extinct. Now, hippos are found living in Africa, south of the Sahara. Hippos will always be found near a source of water and near grasslands where they search for food. Hippos are mostly found in deep, slow-moving rivers and lakes in eastern and southern Africa. Hippos may also be found in wetlands. During the day, they cross through the swampy waters, and by night, graze on the small grassy parts. Hippo numbers are declining due to the loss of their habitat mains for farming and agriculture. 

Reproduction and Life Cycle

The gestation period for a hippo is about 8 months. After those eight months, the female hippo gives birth to a single calf, mostly during the rainy season. Hippos mostly give birth in the water and is uncommon to give birth on land. Mothers are protective of her calf and the calf rides on it mothers back to be safe. Calves are fully weaned after 18 months (1 1/2 years). Calves won't leave their mother until they are about 7 or 8 years old. Male calves will become more independent and find their own territory, and female calves will join a herd of other female and young. Hippos may seem sociable but they don't seem to interact with other hippos in their herd. Hippos may live until 40 to 50 years.

Thank you for reading this amazing blog about amazing and enormous animals. I hope you learned a lot from this article and I enjoyed researching about it and writing about it. Hippos are an enormous and fascinating. Please share this blog to your friends and family, they can also now a lot about hippos. Here is the link to my FUN FACTS ABOUT HIPPOS and the link to my YouTube channel.

 The Informative Zoologist